The Henderson Journals
by The-Suburban-Guy
Summary: These are the logs of Michael Henderson, resident of Vault 72 and later founding member of the "Douglas Vault" settlement. They detail his life within the Vault, as well as some of the founding and growth of the settlement following the return to the surface. This story is intended to fit within the Fallout canon, filling in some of the gaps in Pennsylvania's post-war history.
1. Brotherhood Identification

LOGS FROM TERMINAL 176-ARJ: RECOVERED FROM VAULT 72 BY BROTHERHOOD SCRIBES ON 7.23.2286

SYNOPSIS: TERMINAL ENTRIES FROM VAULT 72 SURVIVOR AND FOUNDER OF "DOUGLAS VAULT" SETTLEMENT (INITIALLY KNOWN AS "SUBURBAN ESTATES"), MICHAEL C. HENDERSON. FIRST ENTRY 10.23.2077, LAST ENTRY 4.30.2083. DETAILS LIFE WITHIN THE VAULT, COPIES OF PERSONAL JOURNALS DESCRIBING FOUNDING AND SETTLEMENT GROWTH ALSO BORROWED FROM COMMUNITY LEADER, PERTINENT EXCERPTS TRANSCRIBED FOLLOWING HOLOTAPE TRANSCRIPTION.


	2. Test Save

Entry 1: "Test Save" 10.23.77

TEST. TEST.


	3. Me

Entry 2: "Me" 10.23.77

Well, it looks like this thing works. I guess Vault-Tec managed to get a terminal file manager without corrupted saving. Whenever we had to do anything at school, we always backed it up on holotapes because it always vanished the second you finished typing it and tried to save to the system.

I guess if I'm going to use this thing I may as well say a bit about myself before pouring my every thought into this stupid terminal.

I mean, it's kind of a fucking joke. Right? Maybe if I spill my thoughts and desires into a hunk of plastic and metal I'll feel better about being an orphan.

Anyway, my name is Mike Henderson. I'm 17. I go-or used to go-to Daniel Boone High School in Douglassville, PA. I'm now in Vault 72 until they let us out in 5 years. Here's hoping things get better.


	4. Yesterday

Entry 3: "Yesterday" 10.24.77

I suppose before I get too much into the new stuff I should explain the events leading up to the bombs dropping. God, I can't believe I'm typing that. I mean, who wakes up on a Saturday and says, "I think the world's going to end today?" No one. Anyway, for posterity, here is my recollection of the events leading up to the end of the world:

I woke up around 8. My parents were taking my brother to his tournament in Philadelphia. My mom was already outside in the car when I got up. My dad was standing by the front door downstairs, yelling for my brother, Jake, to get out to the car.

The only thing I remember anyone saying specifically was from Jake. It was the last thing anyone in my family said before they left,

"One minute! Got it! I'm coming"

So, after Jake grabbed his bag (I'm guessing here, but he usually forgets his bag) I heard him run down the steps and out the door. After he shut it I heard the car's motor hum as it pulled out of the drive.

We'd just gotten a new station wagon a few weeks earlier. It was a '78, more leg-room than the '77, at least that's what the dealer claimed… White with a cherry red interior, it was a great car.

I got out of bed; whenever I wake up I never can get back to sleep, and walked down to the kitchen. On the fridge was a note from my mother. She asked me to rake up the leaves out back and take Roscoe, our German Shepherd, for a walk.

I placed the note on the counter and took out a box of cereal. My brother loved Sugar Bombs, but the stuff was always sickeningly sweet to me. I ate some Nutrin-O's and read the paper; apparently Boston was in the World Series and the war in Alaska was winding down.

"Good." I mumbled, "It'll be nice when this craziness is finally over."

I stretched as I got up to take a shower. After I got dressed I put on my sweater and went outside to rake the leaves. I let Roscoe out in the backyard. It was fenced in, so he couldn't get anywhere.

I finished raking and bagging the leaves around 9:30, so I went inside and grabbed Roscoe's leash. I didn't mind taking walks. Our neighborhood was great. We lived on the edge of Suburban Estates. The whole community was sponsored by Vault-Tec and the Department of Defense. My parents bought our house and paid a mortgage through Vault-Tec, and as a result we got a spot in the Vault. Vault 72 was finished in '72, I don't know if that's why they called it that, or if it was for some other reason. All the other ones in the area were higher numbers-102, 105, 113…

All the people in our neighborhood worked for either Vault-Tec or a government agency. My mom was a housewife, but my dad worked for the army. I'm not sure what he did, all I know is that it had something to do with a power plant down in Limerick.

By the time I'd gotten Roscoe's leash on it was nearly 10:00, I remember checking my watch. I had plans to meet with some of my friends from school in town for a movie and I didn't want to be late. Roscoe usually led on our walks. He's close to a year old and full of energy. Today he decided to lead us towards Timberline Drive, near the middle of the neighborhood. I remember walking past the houses thinking how nice the weather was. For October it was really warm. The trees were already mostly changed and a couple of my neighbors had up Halloween decorations. As we walked past the Henderson's Roscoe spotted a cat and began to pull me toward Oak Circle-the street that was at the very center of the neighborhood.

In the middle of Oak Circle was the entrance to Vault 72. It was a large blue platform that acted as a door. When activated a large piece from the center slid into the side and opened up a spiral staircase leading down into the vault. I remember seeing it when we moved in. It was the centerpiece of the marketing campaign-"See the Vault and Sign up Today!" or some bullshit like that.

Roscoe lost the cat about halfway around the circle, so we started to head back towards home. As we turned the corner back onto Maple Drive I heard the air raid sirens sounding.

"Attention residents of Suburban Estates, this is not a drill, go to the vault immediately!" The message kept repeating every few seconds, getting progressively more terrifying with each time.

I remember saying out-loud that it couldn't be real. As I looked I saw the neighbors, as shocked as I was, coming outside. Surely, this couldn't be real? A police cruiser with Vault-Tec officials went speeding past. I quickly picked up Roscoe and started running toward the vault. As I approached the gate surrounding the vault I saw one of the officials unlocking it.

"Is this really happening? Who's doing this?" I remember asking him.

His face was pale, his eyes dark and hollow as he replied that it was. He unlocked the gate and ran to the trailer next to the entrance, typing something on a terminal to force the door open. By the time it slid across there was around 50 of us crowded around the gate. The police officer had blocked the entry.

"You can let them in; as long as they have the community card they're fine." The official ordered the officer.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out my card. It was required to have it to enter or exit the neighborhood. I remember forgetting my once and having to try to climb the fence to get in. Eventually I got fed up and walked to a pay phone to have my mother drive out and give my card to me.

Flustered, I pulled out my card and handed it to the official. I was at the front of the crowd, holding Roscoe.

The officer read my card and then waved me toward the vault.

I guess he hadn't noticed Roscoe. Apparently some of the later arrivals had to leave their pets on the surface. I ran to the entrance and began the descent into the darkness. I reached the bottom and was greeted by an official and some of the staff. I recognized Dr. Jenkins and Mrs. Wright-some of my neighbors who worked for Vault-Tec.

"Michael, where's your family?" Mrs. Wright asked, somewhat confused.

Without thinking I replied, "They're at my brother's tournament in the city."

"Oh…I'm so sorry." She replied, putting her hand on my shoulder as she gave me a quick hug.

It was then I realized that I would never see my parents again. I fell to my knees and wept. Roscoe seemed to understand my sorrow, nuzzling my cheek as I felt the bitter tears begin to fall. This is when the bombs dropped.

Our Vault was far enough from the initial blast that we got the bulk of the community in the vault before the bombs fell. At 10:17 the lights flickered for a second, and that was it. The old world was gone.

The last resident of Suburban Estates to get in was Greg Watterson, my next-door neighbor. If I'd been at home, I wouldn't have survived the bombs. He descended the stairs fully at 10:20.

…I need to take a break. This is bringing up some stuff I'm not 100% ready to talk about yet. I'm going to type more tomorrow.


	5. Life in the Vault

Entry 4: "Life in the Vault" 10.25.77

By 10:30 the Vault-Tec staff had informed us of what our life in the vault would be like. Before the bombs had dropped every house in Suburban Estates was assigned a corresponding room in the vault. It was outfitted for the needs of a family of four-as every house had a maximum of four residents.

I was assigned to a room off the atrium in the south wing. It was a small room, but I was alone aside from Roscoe, so I didn't mind the size. There were three beds: One queen on the far wall, and a set of bunk-beds off to the side. I checked the dresser and found a number of jumpsuits. After I managed to find one in my size I checked out my room more thoroughly.

I paced it out and it was roughly 15 by 20 feet. Aside from the beds there were two dressers, a desk with terminal, a hamper, and a small table with chairs. Our vault had been designed with attached bathrooms for each residence. Inside I found a toilet, shower, and small sink with mirror. On the wall in the main room I saw a PA box.

We were later informed that the vault had a PA system that would tell us what to do. According to the staff we needed to follow the PA's orders and schedule at all times to ensure order. I guess that it makes sense, but I still think its annoying as hell to get up at 5:30 every day.

At 12:00 the PA went off, calling everyone to lunch, mandating that we wore out new jumpsuits. I said goodbye to Roscoe and decided that after lunch I was going to see if I could find something for him to eat. As I left my room I looked to see who was assigned near me.

In the room to my left were Mr. and Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Wright had worked for Vault-Tec for close to a decade. I don't know what her job on the surface was-something in HR maybe?-but down here she was part of the team to monitor behavior of residents. They were an older couple, both in their 60s. I know they had a son from before, but he didn't make it to a vault.

On the other side of me was a family I hadn't met before going into the vault. They'd just moved into Suburban Estates a few months ago. The house had been the model home for the neighborhood, so when the last lot was sold, the model was listed. The Dysons bought it and moved in right before the 4th of July, Clark later told me.

Clark was the oldest child, he was my age, 17, and we had attended the same school. Apparently he was in a different track than I was, so we never interacted. He had a younger sister, Amy, who was 14. His father made it to the vault, but his mother was out shopping when the bombs fell.

I recognized some of the other faces as we neared the cafeteria, and sat down with some of my other friends from the neighborhood. Andy had lived a few doors down from me on the left, and Joe lived on Timberline Drive-only a block from the vault. Both their families had made it. Aside from us and Clark, there weren't any other teenage boys.

We tried at first to talk about other things, but inevitably they both noticed that no one else in my family was there. Eventually Joe got up the nerve,

"Did everyone from your family make it?" Joe asked.

"No. My parents were at my brother's tournament. It's just me and Roscoe now." I replied, nearing tears again.

"God… I don't know what to say." Joe replied somberly.

"At least you have your dog, the guy at the gate wouldn't let us take Max down." Andy replied, trying to lighten the morbid tone. "Look, you've got us, your dog, and the rest of your life in a concrete bunker to look forward to. I say to make a toast." Andy lifted his Nuka-Cola, "To Vault-Tec and their paranoia confirmed."

I smiled, it still hurt, but I knew he was trying to cheer me up.

Andy always tried to make the best of things-he had to. Before he moved into Suburban Estates he had a terrible childhood. His mother had been in an abusive relationship with a boyfriend after Andy's father was killed overseas. The guy regularly beat the shit out of her, and occasionally he beat up Andy and his little brother. Eventually he was arrested, but it took a while before she met Jeff. Jeff is Andy's stepdad. He worked for the marketing division of Vault-Tec. Apparently he helped develop Vault Boy.

After we finished the (surprisingly edible) grayish meat and vegetables they'd served, we looked around to see if there were any other teens. I didn't see any aside from the guy whose family was assigned next to me.

Turns out Joe knew him, they had history together. His name was Clark Dyson. We invited him over to our table and asked if he wanted to hang out later. I commented that I was going to look around for some dog food.

"They let you bring your dog in?"

"Somehow, yeah."

"Okay, sure."

We told him to meet us in the west atrium after lunch.

After lunch we met up and started to explore the vault. The PA said we had the rest of the day off until dinner, so we had five hours to see what the vault had to offer. Andy lived in the same wing as Clark and I, but a floor up and on the opposite side. He said that he noticed a game room near his place.

Sure enough, there was a game room. There was a pool table and a few terminals with games preloaded onto them. After goofing off for an hour we continued walking until we looped back through the atrium to the lower level. There weren't any residential rooms down here, but we found the school room (great, even in the post-apocalypse there was school!) and library. There were also a few storage closets and a hydroponics lab.

Back on the main floor we visited the other residential wing where Joe's family was. There wasn't much else here aside from a Laundromat and a nursery for young children during the day.

The last area was off the rear of the atrium, adjacent to the cafeteria. This wing had a few residential units, access to the overseer's office, the armory, clinic, and a research lab.

Despite all of this I wasn't able to find any dog food. Eventually someone suggested just asking one of the cafeteria workers. When we did I was informed that Vault-Tec normally didn't allow pets, apparently I had gotten lucky with Roscoe. She offered some Salisbury steak, and I accepted. Roscoe didn't mind.


	6. Another Day, Another Announcement

Entry 5: "Another day, Another Vault-Tec PA announcement" 11.19.77

It's been about a month now since the bombs dropped. The PA keeps us updated on the date when we wake up every morning. It's been hard.

I have trouble sleeping. I feel guilty for being the only one to survive. Why did I live when my parents died? What about Jake? He was 14. What kind of a fucking world would think that using nukes was a good idea?!

Every night it's the same nightmare. I'm in my room in the Vault when my family creeps in through the door, burned to almost be unrecognizable. They grab me and pull me out of the vault into a flaming cloud of ash on the surface. I choke on the smoke and ash as I watch my flesh fall off from the radiation.

Then I wake up and scream.


	7. Dog Meat

Entry 6: "Dog Meat" 11.21.77

I managed to finally work up the nerve to talk to the overseer about getting Roscoe proper food. While he liked Salisbury steak, it was making him quite the chubby puppy.

She said she didn't mind that I had a pet, especially considering all I'd been through-apparently my status as the only orphan in the Vault had made it to the higher levels. She said that, while the vault didn't have any dog food, she could ask some of the guys in the research lab to come up with a more balanced food for him.

School's interesting now. There're only about 30 kids and teens in the whole vault. There are some toddlers and a few babies, but their parents leave them at the nursery. During the day the school has 32 of us all in one room. The youngest kids were in 2nd grade when the bombs fell. I was a senior.

Mr. Hanning was a middle school teacher before the bombs, so Vault-Tec decided he could be the school teacher down here. Usually he focuses on the younger kids and lets us work on assignments on our own in the back. All the books are made by Vault-Tec, so it's basically propaganda for the vault. I don't mind, I figure if we all end up obsessed with vault life it might be for the best. Who knows what's out there?


	8. Thanksgiving

Entry 7: "Thanksgiving" 11.25.77

Today was Thanksgiving. Mr. Hanning had some of the little kids do a short play in the atrium before dinner. It wasn't bad, given the fact that we don't have access to any real costumes down here.

Somehow Vault-Tec had managed to stockpile canned turkey breast for the holidays! It was fantastic. Normally I don't like canned meat, but when you've eaten nothing but grayish meat-paste with sides (at least I think it's meat), anything is fantastic. The overseer said I could let Roscoe out of the residential area today to socialize with the other residents-something about morale.

Apparently someone else also managed to smuggle in a dog-Nora Ehst. Nora lived down the block from Joe, so I already know enough about her. She's a junior who acts like she's a princess. When we went to school up top she would always get dropped off by her father in front of the school. They had a brand-new Corvega Rocket.

She had managed to bring in her Labrador Retriever, Lucy. Apparently no one was going to tell the daughter of Vault-Tec's Philadelphia Region Sales Manager that she couldn't bring in her dog.

It turns out that Roscoe likes Lucy, because while we were eating dinner the two had managed to sneak off together.

According to Davey Solomon he found them near one of the storage rooms "wrestling". If it turns out that they can have puppies, why not? It might do the vault some good to have more animals than just rats and roaches.

Though that would mean I would have to deal with Nora… So, if not, I wouldn't be too upset.


	9. Schoolwork in the Apocalypse

Entry 8: "Schoolwork in the Apocalypse" 12.4.77

"Despite the world above ending we still get a quality education courtesy of Vault-Tec." This is a paraphrase of the foreword of our history textbook.

I don't devalue the gift of knowledge, but I do feel a bit confused as to why we're only learning about certain things. While I understand the importance of basic skills (reading, writing, math, etc.), as well as training us for our future, I don't know why Vault-Tec has a curriculum that completely ignores certain chunks of history.

In our textbooks the index lists the periods studied. It is pretty normal up to WWII, but then it gets really sparse in the late 20th century. By the time we get to the present it only barely covers the basics about how the war started.

I guess they're working on revising the past…

For the purpose of preserving the truth about our history and what really led up to the war that put us in this bunker, I will be holding my own history lessons with the younger kids. I know it's not Vault-Tec approved, but honesty about our past may just save us from another catastrophe in the future.


	10. Expecting

Entry 9: "Expecting" 12.23.77

Well, Lucy is pregnant. Nora took her to the clinic today because she'd been tired and not eating a lot. Dr. Jenkins concluded that Lucy is about half way through her pregnancy. Nora was not all too happy that Roscoe had decided to do this, as she explained in not as kind words.

Well, at least living down here helped someone get lucky.


	11. Christmas Past

Entry 10: "Christmas Past" 12.26.77

Christmas just passed. It's strange to have celebrated and not had any trees. Vault-Tec prohibits us from growing any trees until we can go back up top, so for now its just paper cutouts.

This was the first time I've been alone for Christmas. In the vault we don't have much ability to give gifts. We all have what we need, and you can't buy anything new-there's nowhere to buy it. I had a copy of Red Menace and a Grognak comic in my jacket when I came into the vault, and that's about it. For Christmas Andy, Joe, and I exchanged gifts. Clark was Jewish, so he didn't do the Christmas exchange. At least this way we didn't let the tradition die, even if we were just swapping things we'd normally let each other borrow.

I gave Joe my Red Menace holodisk and Andy my Grognak. Joe gave me a holodisk with recordings of some of the radio broadcasts from before the war. He'd had time to grab some belongings before getting to the vault because he lived close. He gave Andy an advance copy of the school yearbook from above. Joe had been the editor and updated the advance copy monthly. I think Andy gave the best gift though.

Andy gave me a photograph of our families together on the 4th of July from this year. His mother had grabbed the photo album before reaching the vault, and he searched until he found a picture of my whole family.

I cried as I thanked him, reaching out to embrace him. After a brief moment he responded.

"Okay, and that's enough." Andy gently pushed me off.

Andy also got Joe a good gift, when the bombs dropped he was wearing a Nuka-World shirt. Joe had never been there, so him getting Andy's shirt was about as close as he would ever get.

New Year's is coming up soon. They're having a party in the Atrium for everyone to stay up. It's kind of strange. Without seeing the weather time moves differently.

Entry 11: "Revised History" 12.30.77

Today I gave my first lesson to the younger kids. There are only a handful of them, so I did manage to get them all together for a bit. They seemed pretty receptive, and when I explained that they needed to understand what really happened they seemed eager to learn.

The main thing I'm working on is explaining to them the whole situation that led to the war that led to the bombs that led to the Vault. I can remember that the Resource Wars started a bit before I was born, and that the US and China fought in Anchorage when I was a kid. My parents never forbid me from seeing the news, and as a result I have always had a pretty good idea that things weren't going great in the world.

I guess that's why my parents decided to move into Suburban Estates. They figured that with everything going on, the safest bet would be to move into a neighborhood where even atomic fire could be stopped thanks to a two-ton steel door.


	12. Revised History

Entry 11: "Revised History" 12.30.77

Today I gave my first lesson to the younger kids. There are only a handful of them, so I did manage to get them all together for a bit. They seemed pretty receptive, and when I explained that they needed to understand what really happened they seemed eager to learn.

The main thing I'm working on is explaining to them the whole situation that led to the war that led to the bombs that led to the Vault. I can remember that the Resource Wars started a bit before I was born, and that the US and China fought in Anchorage when I was a kid. My parents never forbid me from seeing the news, and as a result I have always had a pretty good idea that things weren't going great in the world.

I guess that's why my parents decided to move into Suburban Estates. They figured that with everything going on, the safest bet would be to move into a neighborhood where even atomic fire could be stopped thanks to a two-ton steel door.


	13. New Year's Ball

Entry 12: "New Years Ball" 1.1.78

Yesterday was the New Years party in the Atrium. Nora and some of the other girls did their hair up (but no changes to the jumpsuit-the PA was quite strict about that), and despite her being a total priss, she did look pretty nice.

Luckily the ratio of males to females is pretty close for our age. Myself, Andy, Joe, and Clark are the only high school guys. Nora, Clark's sister Amy, and the twins Susan and Sarah Di Martino are the only high school girls. So, as it worked out we each had a date. Unfortunately I forgot to ask someone until the last minute and got the *ahem* pleasure *ahem* of having to spend the evening with Nora.

Nora is an only child, and her parents were both involved in Vault-Tec before the war. I already mentioned her father, but her mother was also. She worked on developing the official blueprints for each Vault.

When I picked her up her father answered the door. He gave me a brief talk threatening that he would be sure to have me sanctioned if I tried any "funny business". I promised him that it was the furthest thing from my mind. Nora came out shortly after. She had her hair up in a beehive style. The long auburn waves seemed to shimmer as she moved.

Anyway, the evening wasn't too bad. Mostly the younger residents attended the party. Andy and Amy, Clark and Sarah, and Joe and Susan were waiting for us when we arrived. Mr. Cornell had set up a jukebox with holotapes for music. Whenever a song ended, the closest person would key in the next selection.

There was a few refreshments, and surprisingly punch. Down here it's been nothing but reconstituted milk, water, and coffee-so punch was an appreciated departure.

All of us talked and danced, and when it was midnight most of the couples shared a kiss. Nora insisted I kiss her, which wasn't actually too bad.

I dropped her off at her room around 1, and got to bed a bit after that.

A new year. It's hard to believe. But I suppose time doesn't care what happens or happened it is constant. Only about a decade to go before we can see what it's like up top.


	14. New Life

Entry 13: "New Life" 1.26.78

I know it's been a while; I've been busy with stuff.

That's a lie. I've been playing pool and trying to figure out how many tiles are in this place (hey, I'm bored, sue me).

Lucy just had her puppies. They look kind of like her, and kind of like Roscoe. Dr. Jenkins helped with the delivery. There were a total of 7 puppies. 4 boys and 3 girls. Lucy won't let anyone near them except for Nora, Roscoe, and I.

It's amazing how tiny they are. They haven't opened their eyes yet, but they still manage to find their mother when they're placed near her. It's nice to have something be born from the destruction and death.

My lessons with the younger kids have been going well. One of the boys, Tom Loomis, even called me his favorite teacher.

I guess before the bombs I never really thought too much about my future. I always knew I'd go to college and get some degree, eventually marry some girl and settle down, but aside from that I never really envisioned much. It's strange, now I think more about my future than I ever did before.

The Vault has a test for career aptitude (the GOAT) that we'll be taking next month. It determines our functions while we're down here. I guess it's as good a way as any to figure out my future. Though, if I had my choice, teacher doesn't seem too bad.


	15. Puppies and GOATs

Entry 14: "Puppies and GOATs" 2.5.78

The puppies are getting quite a bit bigger already. They've already opened their eyes and are starting to try to move around a bit.

Nora and I take turns watching them. Roscoe and Lucy are inseparable, and the pups seem to appreciate the time with their parents. The runt of the litter is a boy. I've decided to name him Felix.

Nora and I each have started talking to the other residents to determine which families should get the new puppies. In the end the Overseer gets the ultimate approval, but she has allowed us to suggest potential homes.

In other news (look, I suck at transitions, ask anyone who's read my writing, live with it), the GOAT is next week. In class we've discussed the basics-it's a handful of multiple-choice questions that determine our best positions within the Vault. Right now anyone over 16 is being administered the test and being graduated in March.

Hopefully things go well. I'll write in with more later.


	16. GOAT Results

Entry 15: "GOAT Results" 2.11.78

Well, the Vault-Tec administration has spoken. As a result of the GOAT today I am in line to be… The Vault Chaplin?

Not that I don't believe in God, I do, but I never saw myself as Chaplin. On the bright side, because I'm not Catholic I can still marry.

To save time (and demonstrate a bit of the strangeness of the GOAT), here's a list of all the GOAT results for 2078:

*Sarah Di Martino: Secretary to the Overseer

*Susan Di Martino: Hydroponics Worker

*Clark Dyson: Barber

*Nora Ehst: Medical Assistant

*Michael Henderson: Chaplin

*Andrew Perkins: Engineer

*Joseph Valentino: Pip-Boy Repair and Programming

While none of us got our dream jobs, I do suppose we all fit well enough. Andy and Joe are the only people I would ever trust to take apart a terminal, so their positions make sense. Clark as a barber should be interesting, he has never cared much for appearances, but he said that at least he gets to work fewer hours than the rest of us. As for the girls, I can certainly see Susan and Sarah's positions given their love of writing and gardening. But Nora, like me, got a bit of a toss-up. She never had much experience with doctors, but I suppose they only had a few positions available…

In any case, we start our jobs in a few weeks. We graduate on the 28th, then straight to work.


	17. Chaplin Duties

Entry 16: "Chaplin Duties" 3.8.78

The last few days have been eventful, to say the least.

For graduation all of us sat in chairs on a platform erected in the atrium. The PA had requested all residents to attend the ceremony, so we were greeted with nearly 200 people looking up at us as we uncomfortably stared out at the mass. The Overseer then walked up and gave a speech to the residents declaring our progress up to that point, and congratulated us on our new positions within the Vault. As each of us walked forward to receive our diplomas the Overseer announced our new roles.

After we had received our diplomas she dismissed the residents and instructed us to follow her to the Overseer's Office. When we arrived she gave us each an instruction book that outlined our jobs' responsibilities and expectations. After we had our books she said we were to read them thoroughly by tomorrow and begin our jobs at 8:00 like every other adult resident.

Mercifully my book wasn't too long. Neither was Clark's, Sarah's, or Susan's. However, Nora, Andy, and Joe, each had novels worth of material to cover. Though each of them also would have on-the-job training that those of us with shorter books would not require.

After comparing my 61 pages to Andy's 230 and Joe's 247, I felt glad that I had managed to do poorly enough on the technical sections to be exempted from either of their jobs.

The reading wasn't too bad, after a brief hour and a half I had covered all the material. As Vault Chaplin I was responsible for administering all religious functions of the Vault.

Our Vault was mostly Christian, with a few Jewish families. However, we did have both Catholic and Protestants, as well as Baptists-so I still had to learn many more holidays than my Methodist background had afforded.

The main thing I had to ensure was that all the residents were content in their faiths and that I support their needs. According to the manual, "In the Vault there may be times when it feels like God is far away. With the concrete bleakness of the present and the knowledge of a lost world above, depression and anger may arise. It is important to reaffirm that God's plan is always in effect and that we will succeed so long as we remain confident in his ways and follow his commands."

For a company with as dubious a history as Vault-Tec, they managed to produce at least one decent piece of literature.

So far I've had to do services only, but there is a chance of needing to conduct baptisms, weddings, and-although I certainly hope this doesn't happen soon-circumcisions.

While I've never attended a Jewish service, I was informed I did okay. For the Christian services I used the same sermon-which took me three days to write and rewrite, then rewrite again-and it seemed to be okay. Though I don't speak Latin, so some of the Catholic mass was a bit tricky.

I think I did okay, when compared to some of the others, I did exemplary. Joe accidentally fried a Pip-Boy 2000 when he tried to install a new processor, Andy burst a pipe on the 3rd level and partially flooded a hallway when trying to turn off the steam and repair a leak, and Nora tripped while carrying a stack of used bedpans…


	18. Birthdays and Memories of Things Lost

Entry 17: "Birthdays and Memories of Things Lost" 4.6.78

Today is my mother's birthday.

If she was alive she'd be 42 today.

My family never did anything extravagant for birthdays, but they always seemed perfect. Last year I'd saved up and bought her a strand of pearls from Jarden's in town.

I could barely contain my excitement to show her, but I managed to wait until the actual day. After dinner we had her open gifts, and when she opened mine I saw a look that only graced her face on occasion, joy. With the stress of my father's hours and her own job, coupled with the stress of the world at large, she rarely managed to show true joy.

When she opened the box her eyes lit up and she even began to tear up as she hugged me. After that she wore the pearls every time she went out. I guess she was wearing them on that Saturday.

I miss her. I miss all of my family. Its strange how you don't think about it until it's gone, but all those stupid little insignificant moments you spend with people you love really add up.

I'm all alone down here. At least in terms of family.

I still have Joe and Andy and Clark, not to mention Roscoe, but I still feel lonely. I'm glad I'm alive, but I wish they were alive with me.

I guess I should mention I have kept up with the kids studies in our more recent past. With work though it can be a bit tricky to get enough time for everything.


	19. Adoption

Entry 18: "Adoption" 5.2.78

The pups were given up for adoption today. We finished weaning them, and they're all ready for new owners. Lucy and Roscoe have been great parents; the overseer says that if things go well they may allow more puppies in the future.

Roscoe seems a bit upset to be separated from his kids, but because of the Vault's size he's still going to see them on a regular basis.


	20. Faith and Relationships

Entry 19: "Faith and Relationships" 6.14.78

Today was my first wedding.

Not my wedding personally, that is.

This is why I hate English syntax. Let me clarify, today was my first day officiating a wedding. Today I married John West and Carol Forrester.

John West worked for the US Military at the same facility as my father. His fiancée, Carol had been a receptionist for some biogenetics company in Reading. Before the war they were engaged, and had intended to be married sometime in the spring of this year. They lived on the other side of the neighborhood, but my father knew John from work so we occasionally had them over for dinner.

Unfortunately, as I'm sure you are aware; they had some complications with their initial plans.

The ceremony itself was fairly simple-they're Protestant, so I didn't have to learn any new Latin or Hebrew for the wedding, thankfully. We had the chapel decorated with some flowers from hydroponics, and Clark had done his best with the young couple's appearances (though, mercifully, the bridesmaids had done the makeup).

After blessing the union and the exchange of rings (something I was surprised that Vault-Tec had managed to consider ordering in advance) there was a brief reception.

I saw a handful of other residents I recognized, although I never spoke to them much aside from on Sundays. As I stood there watching them talk and dance I wondered what my own wedding would be like.

I mean, I realize I'm only 18, but unlike before, there's no real incentive to wait to get married. I'm gainfully employed (as is mandatory for all adults in the Vault) with my own living arrangements (the Vault), and with the constant surveillance and PA announcements ensuring that no non-married couples have any *ahem* romantic endeavors I can't do anything until I'm married.

Granted, just because I can get married (and have nothing trying to stop me), doesn't mean I will any time soon. For one thing, I'm not even dating anyone right now. For another, I'm not even sure if I'm interested in dating anyone who's available.

Sarah and Susan are both taken (Joe and Andy respectively, lucky bastards), and Clark would literally cut my ear off if I even tried to hit on Amy. That leaves one of two options. I could do the same route as Clark and try to meet an older woman (the closest in age to us is 32, by the way), or date Nora.

While she may not be as bad as I initially believed her to be, there is absolutely no way I would ever consider dating Miss Priss.

I may just wait it out and see if Susan or Sarah become available, but until then despite Vault-Tec is pushing all of us to begin "Reproducing for a Better Tomorrow" I'm going to stay out of the relationship scene.


	21. Time

Entry 20: "Time" 6.22.78

I noticed something recently that has been bothering me. Despite the PA announcements continually stating the time when dictating actions, it seems as if the timing of the announcements is a bit off.

I was wearing a watch when I entered the Vault. While I admit that the battery may be dying which could be causing a slowing effect, I have counted mentally and it appears accurate.

This being said, I realized that the PA announcements are about 10-20 minutes off. They also get slightly more off as time passes, about 30 seconds per day. Despite this error all the clocks in the Vault still read the time the announcements indicate. As do the terminals.

If this error continues I may mention it to Andy. Maybe he could shed some light on the situation.


	22. A Retrospective

Entry 21: "A Retrospective" 7.4.78

It's weird how with time the insignificant things you miss seem to get more and more prominent.

Today is the Fourth of July. If it weren't for the bombs, I'd likely be out back with my family watching my dad struggle to light the barbecue. My mom would be dashing back and forth from the kitchen to the patio, carrying plate after plate of sides. Jake and I would sit back and watch as the chaos unfolded. Eventually our relatives would arrive and everything would seem to have gone off without a hitch, despite the many near-misses that had happened.

My grandparents would always arrive first (my mom's parents, my dad's parents passed before I was born). My grandmother would always greet us with a big hug and comment how much bigger we'd gotten-It was her favorite greeting.

My grandfather would then come in carrying a tub of her home-made baked beans (which were always a big hit). After setting them down he'd pull out two envelopes for Jake and I. Both of us were born in July, and they only managed the drive a few times a year from Pittsburgh, so we usually celebrated early with them. Inside there was always a check for a few hundred dollars (plenty to buy comics and new holotapes).

After him my dad's sister Carol and her three kids would show up, followed by my uncle Dan and his wife, and finally my mother's brother Larry.

I always loved the Fourth. At the end of the night the community set off a fireworks display in the center near the Vault. As we'd sit on the roof and watch the flashes I always felt complete, somehow.

I really didn't think too much about any of my extended family at first, but I have been as of recent. I know for certain that my Aunt Carol and her family were signed up at Vault 102, but aside from them… I feel they may have suffered the same fate as my parents.

I hope that Pittsburg may have been spared, but I know the rest of my family lived in or near Philadelphia.


	23. Waste Management

Entry 22: "Waste Management" 7.20.78

The Overseer has recently determined that there is a need for a decrease in moral-at least that's the only explanation I can see to why we now have to reduce our waste production by 20%. Although officially the statement was that due to our Vault being built earlier on we have a less efficient waste incineration capability, I am somewhat suspect of that.

In the short-term this means that we're having decreased food allotments and that we must justify any disposal of garbage exceeding 5 pounds. Every week for sermons I have to print bulletins. Seeing as I have to print a couple hundred each week, I have to justify my trash at the weekly pick-up. This being Vault-Tec (the master of corporate red tape) I have to fill out-in triplicate-my trash contents.

And an update on the whole time thing, according to Andy the Vault's central chronometer seems to be working, so I have no idea why we now are working on 26 hour days. I think I'm going to try to schedule a meeting with the Overseer to explain the issue.


	24. Meetings

Entry 23: "Meetings" 7.30.78

Well, Overseer Kennedy was not too happy to meet today. When I explained the situation regarding the internal timing being off she immediately dismissed the claims. She stated that my watch must be broken, as the entire system is controlled by precision electronics and could never err by "a margin exceeding 3 seconds".

At that point I attempted to show her my logs that showed the steady increase in hours allotted to a "day", but she dismissed me from her office. On the way out I talked a bit with Sarah. I hadn't seen her much since we had all been assigned jobs (the chapel being on the first level and the Overseer's office being high above the atrium), so it was nice to catch up.

She talked a bit about how Susan and her were doing. Apparently Susan had managed to get a promotion in Hydroponics after she hybridized two of the bean plants we had. Aside from that nothing else major happened. She did ask me if I was dating Nora, though. When I asked why she replied that Nora had mentioned she and I were together.

I'm going to talk to Nora and straighten this out…


	25. Miss Priss

Entry 24: "Miss Priss" 8.6.78

Well, I have to say one thing: Mr. Ehst is an absolutely terrifying man when he can want to be. When I went to confront Nora I was greeted by her wall of a father at the door. I thought his threats about us being together for New Years were bad enough, but sitting quietly as we waited for Nora to arrive was terrifying.

The Ehsts have a much nicer living facility than I do. They live in the other wing, not far from Joe, but a floor higher. As we waited in their living room I felt his eyes drilling through my forehead. Every few minutes I tried to speak, but he immediately cut me off with a look.

When Nora walked in she immediately blushed. Apparently seeing her faux suitor being non-verbally berated by her father causes her to become embarrassed. She quickly told off her father and pulled me aside to the corner of the room.

She immediately asked what I was doing there. I replied with Sarah's comments, and asked as to why she stated we were dating.

At this point she began to become even more red.

I scratched my neck as I spoke, "You know, if you wanted to go out you could have asked. You may be a total Miss Priss, but you're not all bad."

She smiled and began to fade back to normal.

After a brief conversation with her father, he relented to allow us to date. Threats of removing my manhood upon upsetting Nora remaining in play.

So, Nora and I are dating now. I never thought I'd say that.


	26. Anxiety

Entry 25: "Anxiety" 8.19.78

The Vault welcomed a new resident today. The Goldbergs gave birth to their youngest child, a son named David. What this means for me is that I now have to perform Brit Milah next week.

For the purpose of exposition (as I am writing this for the sole intent that one day it will be read by others), Brit Milah is the covenant of circumcision for Hebrew male babies. So, this means that I now have to act as mohel and circumcise David.

Aside from the obvious pressure of not screwing up that I also have the pressure of my dating Nora. Her father hasn't warmed up to me much, and every time I pick her up for anything I can tell he wants me to fall into the Vault's incinerator.

Though I suppose that's enough complaining for now.


	27. Guys Night

Entry 26: "Guys Night" 8.30.78

I'm not going to talk about the Brit Milah aside from the fact that it was successful. No one, including myself needs to envision that again.

A few days ago the guys and I decided that we would meet up again and hang out. Unfortunately, after we started working the free time we had was usually consumed attempting to work on our jobs or relationships. (And the Vault is now running steadily on 30 hour days… So, that's been a real adjustment to my sleep schedule.)

After dinner I said goodnight to Nora and joined Andy, Joe, and Clark in the game room. After a few rounds of pool (in which I lost miserably), we decided to see if we could find any parts of the Vault that we hadn't been in yet. (I realize, in hindsight, that it sounds incredibly boring, but when you've been cooped up in a concrete bunker for almost a year you run out of things to do.)

Because Andy works as an engineer he has a key to some of the sub-levels that the rest of us can't normally access. After we walked down the stairs he showed us some of the different systems rooms. There was a gigantic water pump, a nuclear reactor the size of a computer mainframe, and a few general storage rooms. Eventually he'd shown us every room down there except one.

The door wasn't labeled, and apparently none of the engineers had a key that fit the door. Andy said it was likely a planned access to some more storage but they hit bedrock. At least, that's what his supervisor speculated.

After that we went back into the Vault proper and headed off to our rooms. I don't know why, but I have a feeling there's something off about that room…


	28. Blueprints

Entry 27: "Blueprints" 9.5.78

I did some digging to see what might be behind the door.

The Vault does have copies of the original blueprints in the library, but they're kept under restricted access-something my position as chaplain does not afford me. However, Sarah does have this clearance for her position. Clark managed to convince her to let us borrow her key to the restricted portion of the library, so we managed to sneak in and look a bit at the prints.

From what we can tell the room was initially planned to be the location of the water pump, but this was revised after the location of the aquifer was discovered to be a bit more east than initially thought.

A revised copy of the plans shows the room, but isn't labeled. Instead it simply is a blank rectangle. The plans list every room in the Vault as part of the master key, and as far as I can tell the only one not accounted for is the "Obs. Room".

I have no idea what this means, but I intend to find out.


	29. Planning

Entry 28: "Planning" 9.12.78

I've been working on picking locks in preparation for my investigation of the "Obs. Room". So far I'm not great, but with Andy's keys to let us down there and Joe and Clark acting as lookouts we should be able to get in there without much issue. From what I can tell, Vault Tec only used one brand of locks for their door handles.

They're fairly standard pin-tumbler locks and using a bobby pin it takes me about 5 minutes to get them open (I've tried my bathroom, the chapel office, and a few closets to check).

Whoever thought it was a good idea to stock the last 5 years of Tumblers Today must not have thought about the fact that we're all locked in here for 5 years with nothing else to do.

On an unrelated note, Nora and I recently celebrated our one month anniversary. We spent the evening in the hydroponics garden talking about the past on the surface. While neither of us is going to end up with a picket fence ending, at least when we're together it feels a bit better.


	30. Foresight and Hindsight

Entry 29: "Foresight and Hindsight" 10.17.78

We had to delay the attempts at getting into the "Obs. Room". Right now they have all-hours construction going on in the incinerator room. They're currently working to try to expand our incinerator, as the one we have currently is drastically undersized for our Vault. I swear if I didn't know better, it seems like Vault-Tec is deliberately screwing with us. I mean seriously, what are the odds that we have an undersized incinerator and a defective timekeeping program? I swear it's as if they gave us outdated and broken technology just to keep us on our toes.

That's enough about Vault-Tec. Sorry I keep projecting my frustration into this log, although I suppose honesty is better than pretending everything is perfect down here. It's been almost a year and I miss the old world.

While my life wasn't perfect, at least I was normally happy. I could enjoy sitting outside in the sun, listening to the rain on a fall night… I miss the weather. I miss my old house. I miss my family. God, I miss them.


	31. Anniversary

Entry 30: "Anniversary" 10.23.78

Well, one year has passed since the bombs dropped.

Most of the time anniversaries are happy occasions. They're times for celebration of life, of marriage, of bliss and achievements. The only achievement in this anniversary was the utter annihilation of the human race above ground.

The Overseer spoke to us all today about how we're already "one fifth of the way to our re-civilization of the surface world". I still wonder what it will be like. For one thing, what happened to the flora and fauna above? I assume most of it is dead, but what about the stuff that survives? I mean, radiation can do some really strange things to DNA…

But even when we do get to the surface, our world won't be the same. For one thing, those of us who've lost loved ones can never get them back. We'll also never have desk jobs again, or for that matter, formal pay. Vault-Tec protocol is that we work in exchange for our privilege to stay in the Vault. If we do somehow manage to find other humans, heaven help us try to trade with them.


	32. Halloween

Entry 31: "Halloween" 10.31.78

Well, they finally finished construction on the haphazard conglomerate of parts they call our second incinerator. Which means the plan to see what the heck is in the "Obs. Room" is back on the table.

Unfortunately we can't do it tonight. Being Halloween I have to help coordinate the distribution of "candy" to the residents for trick-or-treating. The reason why that's in quotes is because the "candy" is really just repackaged nutrition supplement bars.

So, what that means for me is that I now have to go to every resident's room and give them a few pieces of "candy" to give out when the kids show up. I have a feeling it may take a while to do so…

On a brighter note, Nora and I are attending a costume contest with the other adults in the Atrium. We decided to have a couple's costume: she is going as the Corsair Queen, and I'm going as Grognak.

I certainly hope we win, otherwise I'll have been standing in a loincloth for a few hours for no other reason than her amusement.


	33. Tonight

Entry 32: "Tonight" 11.9.78

Tonight is the night. The plan is that at 11 (after public hours are over) Andy, Joe, Clark, and I will go to the utility floor. After Andy unlocks the door with his key we can get to the "Obs. Room" door. The Vault security doesn't patrol the utility floor because it's normally locked, so we shouldn't have any issues. Once at the door I can pick the lock and we'll be able to see what's down there.

I've been thinking for a while what "Obs." might stand for. I think it may stand for obsolete, meaning that the room was originally planned to have some purpose, but now lays vacant. If this is the case, it means that we now have a vacant room to hang out in. Regardless of the outcome, I'll write in tomorrow with the results.


	34. Revelations

Entry 33: "Revelations" 11.10.78

It was not just an empty room.

After Andy let us down it was a quick walk to the "Obs. Room" door. I pulled out a few bobby pins and managed to get it open in a little under five minutes (Clark timed me). After we pushed the door open we came into a small room, much smaller than the plans had indicated.

There wasn't much inside aside from a bunch of filing cabinets, and to be honest none of us felt like reading a bunch of technical jargon about Vault procedures. I may go back and re-read the files a bit later, but for now I'm going to focus on the other rooms.

Behind one of the cabinets Joe found a pressure plate. When he stepped on it a panel slid out of the wall, revealing a doorway into another room. This room was much larger. It was almost the height of the atrium, and the entire thing was lined with terminal monitors. There were walkways about every 10 feet up the sides, but the center of the room was mostly open, aside from a few banks of computers.

After staring in silence for a few moments Andy finally spoke.

"Well, what are all these for?"

None of us could venture a guess. After a few minutes of exploring the room Joe found a switch labeled "Master Control". After flipping it the lights in the room turned on and the monitors began buzzing to life.

Soon the screens filled with images throughout the Vault. We saw different residences, the school, even the Overseer's quarters. Somehow the Vault's designers had constructed this massive surveillance room without anyone knowing.

"It's an Observation Room. They're watching us. Vault-Tec is watching us."

Horrified, the realization had dawned on me. Vault-Tec was watching us, observing our every move. I had no idea why, but they had obviously done this for some reason.

We turned the system off and quietly left the room. We agreed to return again in a few days with supplies to take notes and hopefully discover the true reason for this massive surveillance.


	35. Observations of My Own

Entry 34: "Observations of My Own" 12.10.78

I realize it's been a while since I wrote in here, so this may be a bit long. Here I go:

After the initial visit we've been going back every few nights to read the files from the room outside the Observation Room. This is what we've discovered.

First, our vault, Vault 76, was constructed for a dual purpose. It was to serve both as a safe-haven for military and Vault-Tec employees, as well as a social experiment. All the slight stresses they've been putting us under are deliberate. The paperwork essentially outlines that over the course of the next few years the Vault would experience more and more breakdowns and cutbacks. It was designed to act as a stress test, and if we succeeded… Well that's what I'm unsure of.

It lists all the procedures and how the recordings are being catalogued and filed to be submitted to Vault-Tec and the US Government after the Vault opens for data collection purposes. I think Vault-Tec may have underestimated the impact of a nuclear war. To the best of my knowledge the surface world is utterly devastated, and I doubt that any semblance of government would be able to survive.

I don't know what will ultimately happen, but according to the files the Overseer is the only individual who knows about our experiment.

Second, Nora and I are doing quite well. We've decided that if all goes well for a while longer we may advance our relationship to engagement. (Logistically speaking there is a limited pool and we get along well, so I think that this will ultimately be the end result.)

Finally, I realize I haven't talked about Roscoe for a while. He's been a good boy. He sometimes misses me when I'm at work, but he never acts out too much. The pups are getting bigger now as well, I saw one of them earlier this week and it was huge!

That's all for now, more updates to come on this whole situation.


	36. Happy Holidays

Entry 35: "Happy Holidays" 12.25.78

Merry Christmas-or whatever it is that those reading this journal end up celebrating. Today could be best described as a hectic mess for me. As the Chaplain I had to host 6 services today: two Catholic, two protestant, a Baptist, and a standard service for the one Russian Orthodox family (who don't celebrate Christmas until January).

What this meant was I had work from 6 am until 3 pm today. When I was finally done I was able to join Nora's family for Christmas dinner. Her mother and father always sat at the same table in the cafeteria, so after we all got food I opted to sit with them instead of with Joe and the other guys.

After some light conversation, and some not-so-subtle threats towards my person by her father, we finished the meal and Nora and I decided to break off and go to my room.

I knew that neither of us had gotten each other anything truly astounding-as we already knew how few were the few possessions spread across the Vault. I had managed, however, to make her a set of hair combs out of some old Nuka-Cola bottles. I had Andy help me out with using some of the tools to cut out the shapes and then worked to file down the slender prongs to a smooth finish.

She was quite surprised when I showed her. She smiled and we shared a quick kiss as she then pulled out a small box for me. Inside was a leather bound book. It was an empty journal. I had told her about my logs on here and she said that when we return to the surface I can use it to tell about our life together above.

I honestly don't have a clue what awaits us above, but for now I know I need to confront the Overseer about what's going on down here. As soon as the holidays are over I'm going to visit and demand answers.


	37. Confrontation

Entry 36: "Confrontation" 1.4.80

Holy shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Look, if this is the last entry I post I'm sorry. Things are happening right now.

The Overseer wasn't happy (to say the least) when I confronted her. When she realized I had been in the observation room she flipped out. I barely escaped her office when I heard a bullet strike the wall behind me. Apparently she keeps a gun in her desk drawer. Sarah managed to slam the door shut behind me.

She'd heard about our visits from Clark and she had heard me speaking to the Overseer. After I thanked her she explained that she couldn't help anyone so vile any longer. Apparently she had seen some of what was going on and had made copies of the documents, hoping to confront the Overseer later. When the Overseer nearly shot me she decided to take action.

Right now Overseer Wilson is in the custody of the security force. Everyone knows about the cameras because of Sarah's documents and my testimony about the room and it seems like a mob could form at any second. If this all goes south, I'm sorry everyone.


	38. The Council Has Spoken

Entry 37: "The Council Has Spoken" 1.9.80

Thankfully things have calmed down. Overseer Wilson is no longer our Overseer. In a decision made by the heads of each of the Vault functions (of which I am one, given that I am the only "Religious and Spiritual Guidance" employee), she was stripped of this title and now resides in the Vault's holding cells. She is sentenced to remain there for another two weeks prior to being paroled and working as a trash burner.

The old observation room has been dismantled, and components are being cataloged and then repurposed. The one benefit is that we now have more terminals than we know what to do with.

A lot of the other residents seem to back my decision, though a handful believe that Wilson had been acting in the best interest of the Vault.

Right now we don't have an Overseer, and I suspect that it may remain that way, given how we all feel right now. The function heads and myself seem to be doing alright right now, but we'll see what ends up happening.


	39. Changes

Entry 38: "Changes" 1.23.80

Well, it's been a few weeks (2 to be exact), and things seem to be working alright. I suppose a quick roundup of how everything is going would be the best course of action-despite the fact that I have had trouble with it myself.

The council is now officially recognized as the governing body of the Vault, and we intend to have annual elections for department heads (myself excluded, being the only person in my department, as previously stated). The current council members are:

Education: Phil Hanning (school teacher, 43)

Religious and Spiritual Guidance: Michael Henderson (chaplain, 18)

Engineering: John Kline (head engineer, 38)

Hydroponics and Agriculture: Carl Ritter (hydroponics head, 61)

Scientific Research: Linda Wright (head researcher, 44)

Security: Ted Mitman (chief of security, 25)

Food Preparation, Janitorial, and Service Industries: Gina Zalesky (cafeteria worker, 52)

Sports, Leisure, and Recreation: Valerie Fox (athletic trainer, 39)

Healthcare: Samantha Jenkins (doctor, 42)

Resource Management: Brenda West (head of resource management, 51)

Technology Services: Larry Gray (lead technology repair, 64)

Communication Services: Anne Lombardo (radio station operator, 31)

Most of the people who initially supported former Overseer Wilson have changed their support after learning that there were cameras in the showers and lavatories.

Finally, with the new terminals being distributed the former observation room is now being converted into the council's deliberation room. I realize the irony, but it is mainly because it is the only room aside from the atrium that could comfortably fit all of us and allow a small audience. According to the engineers and construction team it should be ready some time next month.


	40. Forward Looking

Entry 39: "Forward Looking" 2.6.80

The council met today, not in our room yet, that's still under construction.

The main thing we discussed was the issue of what exactly we should do once we go back to the surface. Chances are that most of society will have collapsed, but there may be pockets that survived. We live far enough from the city that our region never experienced deadly levels of radiation, but the remaining populous likely dwindled due to starvation and murders following the bombs.

If the surface can sustain life we decided that the best thing to do is re-establish Suburban Estates as a new community. We have enough room to do rudimentary farming, and with the wall surrounding us we should be safe from any potential attackers. Most of us will still live in the Vault, but the surface can also be used for homes.

I know that we have some of the prints for the neighborhood above, so we will be working to figure out how to connect the Vault's power and water to them, as well as which structures we will keep or demolish (not all homes will be kept to ensure room for crops).

I realize this isn't as interesting as my usual entries, but at the moment things seem calm. We still have some time left down here, but we are hopeful that tomorrow we will be successful and not have to extend beyond our planned stay.


	41. Room Without a View

Entry 40: "Room Without a View" 2.14.80

The council meeting room was opened today. We had a chance to look around and it seems quite nice. Granted, the Vault lacks a large amount of building supplies, so it is mainly repurposed materials that were in there, but it still is a good space. The council seats form a semi-circle for us to sit at for discussion, and there are seats for spectators to comment and lead our decision making progress. We aim to be a model of democracy for the surface world, we need to keep alive the traditions we have left and preserve as much of the American political process as we can.

I want to note something also. For some reason every device that keeps time has now seemingly skipped ahead nearly a year. The reason for this was the 30 hour days which we are no longer undergoing.

It took a slight adjustment to be back to normal, but I would rather have our time down here measured accurately than be convenient and maladjusted for the surface.


	42. Not Procedures, I swear

Entry 41: "Not Procedures, I Swear." 2.19.80

The first meeting of the Vault Council was held today, and I intend to spare you of the 2 hours of procedures we spoke on.

Instead, I am going to talk about dogs. As you know Roscoe and Lucy had a litter a while ago. What I never got around to discussing was what all happened to the pups. Here's a quick list in order of age:

*Alvin-Adopted by the Carson family. Mr. Carson is a security guard and is working on training Alvin to be a guard dog. So far he's been doing pretty well. When he's off duty he's a big softy and he frequently tries to mooch food from the kitchen staff across the hall from the Kline residence.

*Bonnie-Adopted by the Spangler family. Twin 10 year olds with hyperactive personalities and a dog who loves running. They're inseparable and can usually be found running on the track above the main atrium.

*Claire-Adopted by the Kline family. Claire was born with a stub instead of her front right leg. When I initially saw this I asked Mr. Kline is he would be able to fabricate a prosthetic for her. When he came over to take measurements he fell in love with her. He ended up adopting her shortly after. She is now happily getting about with a limb of his own design.

*Don-Adopted by the Grays. Mr. and Mrs. Gray are an older couple and lost their entire family in the war. When I visited their residence I saw a picture with their grandchildren. I found out that they lived in Boston. Chances are they didn't survive. However, Don seems to be a good means of comfort and they can't seem to go anywhere without him.

*Evan-Adopted by the West family. After their wedding the Wests had a baby girl, Jamie. Jamie and Evan are the most adorable pair you'd ever see. She's nearly one and loves Evan more than anything else in the world.

*Frank-Adopted by the Perkins family. Andy's been treating Frank like an absolute prince. I swear, every time I go over to his place Frank has managed to accrue another home-made toy. He seems to love one spot on the floor next to the heat grate the most, whenever I come over Frank's lying on a blanket chewing a new toy.

*Ginger-Adopted by the Valentino family. Ginger was the runt of the litter, and Joe immediately empathized with her. I suppose I should've mentioned it prior to now, but Joe's the shortest of all of us. He's about 5'5. As soon as he could adopt her he did. She's an absolute baby and demands constant affection-especially being held. Considering she's nearly 60 pounds, it can be a bit comical to watch Joe struggle to carry her around. Although, Joe deciding to train her in Spanish makes it so he isn't the only one carrying her. I can't speak anything but English and Joe's fluent in Spanish. As consequence she refuses to listen to me whenever I tell her to bother Joe to carry her, so when I visit I end up as a dog's personal transport.

So, hopefully that sets at ease anyone who was concerned about them.


	43. Brotherhood Note

p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New';"BROTHERHOOD NOTE: FILES LABELED "ENTRY 42" THROUGH "ENTRY 144" WERE CORRUPTED. OTHER TERMINALS WITHIN VAULT WERE FUNCTIONAL, BUT NOT NETWORKED WITH HENDERSON'S TERMINAL. A FEW ENTRIES REMAIN UNCORRUPTED AT THE END OF THE LOG. /span/p 


	44. Departure Imminent

Entry 145: "Departure Imminent" 4.29.83

It has been a bit over 5 years. According to the overseer it is time for us to return to the surface.

I still can't believe all the time that's passed. Joe and the other security members are going up first, if they sound an all-clear we can follow and go to the surface. Our Vault has three GECKs, so we should be plenty of ability to thrive on the surface.


	45. Surface News

Entry 146: "Surface News" 4.30.83

Joe and the others came back and gave an all-clear. The overseer has approved us to return to the surface. She said that our first course of action will be fortifying Suburban Estates' outer wall and enacting defense against potential raiding parties.

According to Joe the surface is completely scorched. There's no plants, and for some reason the animals seem different. The cockroaches were huge-and the only dog he saw was a mangy wreck that had giant teeth. I certainly hope that these were isolated events, but radiation can do strange things.

END OF HOLOTAPE TRANSCRIPTION.

FOLLOWING ARE PERTINENT TRANSCRIPTIONS FROM HENDERSON'S PERSONAL JOURNAL.


End file.
